Clean Water Has Arrived in Katanga Slum
Clean water brings life and health!!
Did you know that 70 % of the human body is made up of water? Without it, we cannot survive more than a day or two! With it, we can have life. For many people, clean water is something that is taken for granted, but for more than 9 million people or one-fourth of the Ugandan population, it is non-existent or is very unsafe to drink or use! Many who do have water may have to walk up to 5 or 6 miles one way, carting their dirty contaminated jerry cans, just to get water that is filthy dirty and infested with contaminants.
Can we imagine what it would be like to not have clean water to drink, cook, bathe, or wash clothing with? Yet, in Uganda, this is common place. Even outside of having clean water, most people live off the land, struggle immensely to even earn a living trying to provide for their families, and many barely survive from day to day even knowing where their next meal is coming from. Life there is very, very challenging and all seems to trap them in a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness.
Can we imagine what it would be like to not have clean water to drink, cook, bathe, or wash clothing with? Yet, in Uganda, this is common place. Even outside of having clean water, most people live off the land, struggle immensely to even earn a living trying to provide for their families, and many barely survive from day to day even knowing where their next meal is coming from. Life there is very, very challenging and all seems to trap them in a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness.
CAN WE IMAGINE LIVING IN CONDITIONS LIKE THESE?
But even worse is the fact that many of them die from waterborne diseases such as malaria, diarrhea, anemia, malnutrition, typhoid, hepatitis, botulism, etc., all of which could be eliminated, IF they had clean water. If a little Ugandan child’s body is made up of 70% water, just think how hard that little body’s internal organ system has to fight to even stay alive!!! It is a miracle he could even live for one day.
 |
| Ground Breaking Ceremony Children Gathering Water at Project Site |
That’s why many of the children who attend our Mercy Junior School from this Katanga slum get sick over and over again with diarrhea and malaria. Even many of the people in this village have often come to our Devine Mercy Medical Clinic to seek medical assistance, which stemmed from consuming unsafe water.
Because of these facts and the love that God has for the people and children of the Katanga slum area in Kampala, Uganda, For the Love of Africa Ministries chose step in and help make a difference! In order to help bring sustainability to this area, we chose to partner with Dr. Gilbert Birungi and Mercy House Church to help foster change and bring clean safe water to this area of between 40,000-70,000 people.
We would like to thank all who gave towards this very worthy life-sustaining cause. You are affecting and saving thousands of people’s lives by providing them with clean water! This is truly what life is all about!!
We would like to thank all who gave towards this very worthy life-sustaining cause. You are affecting and saving thousands of people’s lives by providing them with clean water! This is truly what life is all about!!
LIKE JESUS, WE ARE CALLED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
COMMENTS FROM DR. GILBERT: “We want to share with you that water projects are one way of sharing the love of Christ with people in communities, demonstrating to them that God cares for their needs and that He wants them to live a healthy life.”
“The water in the Katanga slum was prone to wastes entering from the community, people used to come and use their dirty containers to dip the water out, some would wash their clothes in this water source, others would urinate or defect in it, and several times we found human fecal wastes in this water. Also, before we built this water project, children would fall in the water and just step in with their dirty feet, but now you can see the smile of all of them enjoying fetching water.”
“We launched the project in this particular community because of the grave need we have seen there, because it is community based, and is managed by the community themselves. We called the government local leaders, community influencers and leaders, and also other community members together for a meeting and selected out of them a water project committee for continual water management and sustainability.”
“We started building this 2-month water project with good filtration systems and built a 25 foot trench, which takes dirty water away from our clean water source, so that any materials dumped in by people would be carried away.”
“It’s very vital for all Ugandans to join me as we appreciate For the Love of Africa Ministries to thank you very much for standing with Ugandans in improving their lives by giving them clean and safe water for drinking.”
“It’s very vital for all Ugandans to join me as we appreciate For the Love of Africa Ministries to thank you very much for standing with Ugandans in improving their lives by giving them clean and safe water for drinking.”
________________________________________________________
COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY: On the first day the water project was launched, people from the Katanga slum came to the place of the water project looking very happy.
The water well is near the small mosque, had an interaction with Muslims, as they said, “We have seen many Christians, but they don’t have anything they can be admired for, but for you have done a work that does not discriminate against us, because we all need this water.” This act reveals to them who we are and what our God can do.
ONE GENTLEMAN: “Many organizations and groups came here and promised to work on this water source, but they didn’t fulfill their promise and we end up frustrated, just suffering with diseases, due to dirty and contaminated water that we use.” He said, “But for you, we have seen a difference, because when you promised, you have fulfilled. God bless you.”
________________________________________________________
COMMENTS FROM MERCY HOUSE CHURCH MEMBERS:
PASTOR ISAAC: “Am thankful and praising God, who sent us Momma Mary, as she is really an example to us. I am part of FOLA because of what FOLA is doing for us Africans. I have volunteered myself in building this water project, because I love what God is using FOLA to do.”
“On behalf of the church members, we are extremely glad and happy. We say thank you FOLA for accepting us to work with you in changing our community. We know many other good things through FOLA are to come.”
Dr. CISSY BIRUNGI: “Africa and Uganda in particular, has many needs, spiritual, socio-economic, and political, etc. Among these, the spiritual and social needs are easier to meet. I remember as we walked through Katanga one day, I was stricken by the state of poverty, poor sanitation, and awful living conditions of the people in that area. I so very well remember the state of the source of water that people were drawing water from. It was just a pool of underground water being polluted by wastes from the nearby homes. Today, I see the work that has been done and the clean water that flows from there and when I look at it now, I don’t see it as a well. I see a picture of God reaching out His mighty hand to meet the needs of Africa and Uganda. May God bless all who have been part of this noble work. May God bless the FOLA team! Surely you have a reward in heaven!
MATTHEW 25: 35-37
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink…”
JAMES 1:27
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
_______________________________________________________
COMMENTS FROM GOVERNMENT LOCAL LEADER THE C/P L.C. 1: “We, as the government, want to extend our sincere appreciation for such a great work done for humanity. We know any good work done that is not against the government is for the government. As a representative of the government in this area, I say you are welcome into our community to do even more. We have been facing this challenge of lack of water and many people had come to me for solution and I had told them, that for me, I can’t fix this problem. Now people are going to enjoy good and clean water.”
“As the government, we appreciate and our door is open to work with you whenever you have something that helps our people and the community at large.”
IN CONCLUSION: WE HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING! IN ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO, WE NEED TO PRAY TO GOD THAT WHATEVER WE PROMISE AND PLAN TO DO, WE DO IT, BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND WAITING ON US TO BRING THE SOLUTION TOWARDS THEIR LIVES.
His servants,
Dr. Gilbert Birungi Mary Linette, President
Uganda, Africa For the Love of Africa Ministries
Uganda, Africa For the Love of Africa Ministries
